The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh does take care of its minor league affiliate, but the primary focus has always rightly been the enhancement of the Pittsburgh Penguins, not the AHL Penguins.
This usually means that players in Wilkes-Barre on NHL contracts, get traded away.
Sometimes the return is for another NHL contract playing in the AHL and sometimes it isn’t.
Phil Tomasino, Danton Heinen, Sam Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen were all with the AHL Penguins and traded away so far this season in separate transactions.
Sam Poulin was flipped with Tristan Jarry in a trade to Vancouver for Stuart Skinner.
Danton Heinen was traded to Columbus for Egor Chinakov. Chinakov has done well with the Penguins.
Phil Tomasino was traded to Philadelphia for Igor Zamula. Zamula was assigned to Wilkes-Barre, never reported and had his contract terminated freeing up an NHL contract for the Penguins.
Valtteri Puustinen was traded to Colorado for Ilya Solovyov. Now Solovyov hasn’t had enough of a look in Pittsburgh to make a call on whether it was a “good” trade or not.
But do you sense a pattern here? The Penguins shed the Jarry contact, get a diamond in the rough player in Chinakov and shed an NHL contract with the termination of Zamula. This is a huge benefit for Pittsburgh but comes at the expense of Wilkes-Barre because all four players traded are still in the top 12 in scoring for the AHL team.
It sucks if you are a regular fan in Wilkes-Barre, but in reality, those four had no real future in Pittsburgh and their NHL careers have met a “dead end” in Pittsburgh, so they were expendable.
Now, let’s take a look at the current construct of NHL contacted players on Coal Street and examine what the likelihood of a trade could be. All mentions of player contact statuses is from Puckpedia.com
No Chance in Hell
G Sergei Murashov – He’s their future in goal and something special. He’s not going anywhere.
D Harrison Brunicke – Looked rough in the AHL as they were trying to decide to keep him in the NHL or not, but they rightly sent him back to juniors. He’s not going anywhere either.
F Rutger McGroarty – I want to add a forward in this group and so McGroarty gets the “safe” tag. They seem to like him, he fits in well but makes too many dumb mistakes in the NHL from time to time so since he is waiver exempt, he is in Wilkes-Barre. He’s also getting $950K a year at the NHL level.
Blockbusters Brewing
F Tristan Broz – I can see it, in a package with a lot of other players in exchange for a lot of other players. I picked Broz over McGroarty here based off of the NHL work they both have this season. Broz debuted this season but it was one game and right back to the minors. He’s vulnerable, but it would need to be a blockbuster deal. He’s also 23 and McGroarty is 21.
D Owen Pickering – I don’t think he is developing the way they want him to. He’s been passed over for defensive recalls and when he’s been up hasn’t lit the world on fire. He’s going to be the next Derrick Pouliot if he isn’t careful. Again, he could be that “prospect in the wrong system” that gets thrown in with a bunch of other players.
G Joel Blomqvist – I think he’s an NHL goaltender, but clearly he’s been passed by Sergei Murashov. Still though, I don’t think he’s given away for nothing. It would take a block buster.
For the Right Price
F Avery Hayes – Hasn’t played in the NHL yet but that won’t stop a scout with clout to convince an NHL GM somewhere to make a sweet deal to GM Kyle Dubas and take Hayes off their hands for the right price.
Throw Ins
F’s Ville Koivunen, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard; D Alex Alexyev – These guys are all on expiring contracts, Koivunen and Alexyev are restricted free agents. Not that Kyle Dubas would, but he could.
Sorry, Not Interested!
F Tanner Howe – he’s been practicing with Wilkes-Barre and should begin his pro career very soon. Unless they have scouts at practice, there’s no interest in him.
D’s Daniel Laatsch, Chase Pietila, Finn Harding, Emil Pieniniemi, Phil Kemp – Laatch (23) is currently hurt, Pietila is 21, Harding and Pieniniemi are 20. Kemp is 26 and the captain of the AHL team. They are still “prospects” but for Kemp. I like Harding’s trajectory the most and haven’t seen any of Pieniniemi’s work yet because he’s been in Wheeling. I don’t think any of these guys are commanding any interest at all from other NHL teams, but you could easily “throw in” a few of them if you were looking to move on, I just don’t see it.
Paying Out the String
G Filip Larsson – he’s 27 and can’t crack the AHL lineup and in purgatory because he hasn’t been assigned to Wheeling. No one is taking on $775,000 for a guy like this. He’s UFA at the end of the season.
Please for the Love of God Get Rid of This Guy
D Matt Dumba – Waived to the AHL and costing them $2.6M a year, there’s no NHL GM in his right mind that would take on this contract unless they want to get fired or play an April Fools joke. The Penguins would love to get rid of the guy but can’t because of that albatross of a contract. He’s also a UFA at the end of the season.
The rest of them not mentioned (draft picks mainly) could be considered “throw ins” or “for the right price” players but haven’t had any kind of impact in Wilkes-Barre so it would just be seen as business from the NHL team with no affect on the AHL franchise.
The problem that they had Wednesday was that they were the better team at five on five but ran into a hot goalie and had a $2.6M/ year defenseman do them no favors and they lost in overtime.
They were the better team Friday in Hershey and scrapped and clawed to even it in the third and win it in a shootout.
It was men against boys in the second period where the Checkers outshot the Penguins 20-3 and scored on two delay of game penalties that the Penguins took.
Joel Blomqvist started and wasn’t the problem. The game would have gotten way out of hand if not for his efforts. The Checkers needed dirty goals to beat him and got them on deflections with sticks and defensemans skates.
The honeymoon at the top of the division is probably over as well, as the lack of true scoring was prevalent and teams, Charlotte included, that have games in hand on the Penguins.
We’ll see. What matters really is the top two spots in the division for the bye. Winning the division would be great but is overall meaningless in the broader scope.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 24, 2026
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Lineup Notes: Zach Urdahl took warmups, but he comes out for Scooter Brickey as they went seven defensemen.
First Period: Penguins nose ahead on a Gabe Klassen goal after a yeoman-like keep in from Rutger McGroarty who passed to Ville Koivunen who shot it and Klassen was there for the rebound goal that put Wilkes-Barre on the board first at 13:10.
Joel Blomqvist had highlight save after highlight save, keeping his team in it. Finally Finn Harding takes a puck over glass penalty and Jack Studnicka scores and then Scooter Brickey did the same and a Robert Mastrosimone pass across the low side is deflected off of the skate of Matt Dumba that makes it 4-1.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 25, 2026
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Penguins have a late power play to get it within one, but the Checkers kill it and the guy that took the penalty (Wilmer Skoog) comes out of the box and Jack Studnicka finds him for an empty net goal.
No GIF here but there was some bad blood and some fighting. They showed more fight here then they did the whole third when they were having their heads indirectly kicked in.
Same thing at the buzzer, where Boko Imama had words and needed to be held back by linesman John Rey (who is jacked by the way) against a handful of Checkers players. Again, more fight where it doesn’t matter vs. fight where it does.
Three Stars: 3) MacKenzie Entwistle (goal) 2) Noah Gregor (two assists) 1) Wilmer Skoog (goal, assist)
The Good: I thought Rutger McGroarty played well when he was out there, but he didn’t really have a lot of help. He also tries the same shot all the time.
The Bad: They are not good against Charlotte. I didn’t like the lack of a pushback when it was shift after shift after shift in their own zone in the second.
Turning Point: The Mastrosimone goal that went off of Dumba’s skate gets it here. Different story if they kill it off there and get the McDonough goal.
Around the Division: Providence comes back from down 0-2 to win 4-3 in a shootout against Bridgeport….A Jan Jenik goal is all the Belleville Senators need to beat the Springfield Thunderbirds as they win 1-0. Leevi Meriläinen, who beat the Penguins Wednesday, makes 40 saves and what the hell, it gives me another blog entry to type out Leevi Meriläinen.
The rest of them are still in the third as this goes up. Toronto leads Hartford here and Lehigh Valley leads Herhsey here.
Standings: Providence 59 – Penguins 58 – Charlotte 51 — the rest we really can’t do because they are still in action.
Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 5-2 to Reading. Max Pavlenko started the game but was replaced to start the second by Taylor Gauthier, who took the loss, stopping 15.
Video Highlights: Are probably out there if you want to find them. I gave you the pertinents above.
They get a week off and hopefully can get guys back because this isn’t sustainable.
I may have something for you this week on the blog I have been kicking around idea wise. Stay tuned.
This is a classic game to show a new hockey fan to get them hooked on the sport and possibly the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.
On the road, at a rival, coming off a gut wrenching overtime loss two nights prior, the Penguins scratch out a 4-3 shootout win against the Hershey Bears Friday night.
They get a late goal from Avery Hayes setup by Rutger McGroarty who factored into every non-shootout goals this evening which tied the game late and then a thill a second overtime saw no scoring and then a shootout round that saw Ville Koivunen score the only goal in the round. Koivunen also scored a goal in regulation.
Sergei Murashov stopped 27 shots. The Penguins also got scoring from Owen Pickering.
Amazing how an edge of your seat game like this makes things feel a bit better for a Penguins team that lacks any serious scoring threat because they are either hurt or playing for another team at the present time. And to do so where they trailed for a large portion of the third period and win in comeback fashion.
Would make a new hockey fan hungry from more, right?
Here’s how they lined up:
Projected lines for tonight's I-81 clash with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton:
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 23, 2026
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Lineup Notes: Joona Koopanen is the latest add to the Penguins infirmary, lower body with no timetable. All others status quo. Tristan Broz has a lower body injury. Zach Urdahl came in for Koppanen.
First Period: Disaster start for the Pens, taking a penalty at :21 and then Ilya Protas scoring at :43 to make it 1-0 Bears.
Not even a minute into the game, and Pro grabs his 16th of the season!
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 24, 2026
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Wilkes-Barre was cycling in their zone for a good bit but then took what I thought was a momentum busting penalty, but they killed that with literal ease and then Rutger McGroarty finds Ville Koivunen for a goal that made it 2-1.
Bears outshot the Penguins 16-10 in the period and just flattened any chances that the Pens mustered in the period.
Third Period: No disaster starts here and the Penguins were pushing for the first 10+ minutes of the period with no results.
Hershey takes a puck over glass penalty with about 5 minutes left to play but the Penguins never got rooted in the offensive zone for any threats.
But then McGroarty notches his third assist of the game to find Avery Hayes for the Sidney Crosby-esque knee drop goal far post that ties the game at three.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 24, 2026
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No further regulation scoring.
Overtime: Thrill a second, but not in a good way for Wilkes-Barre / Scranton. Louie Belpedio misses an empty net. Matt Dumba, who I thought had a decent, quiet defensive game, was shaky in overtime, stumbling while defending and then turning over the puck on the same shift that Sergei Murashov had to bail him out on.
Kirk MacDonald called his timeout to settle his team and it worked, but there was only :56 left on the clock. Gabe Klassen had two great looks but wasn’t able to beat Clay Stevenson.
Shootout: Murashov stops Ivan Miroshnichenko in the top of the first, Ville Koivunen flips one upstairs on Clay Stevenson in the bottom of the first, Ilya Protas, Aaron Huglen can’t score in the second with 9,000 moves combined between the two and then Sergei Murashov shopped Brett Leason in the third to secure the extra point.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 24, 2026
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Three Stars: 3) Bogdan Trineyev (two assists) 2) Rutger McGroarty (three assists) 1) Ville Koivunen (goal, assist, shootout goal)
The Good: Great to shower off the stink of the disappointing overtime loss on Wednesday with a gritty come from behind road win at your biggest rival.
The Bad: I thought the Penguins were the better team at five on five and probably deserved to win in regulation but not starting on time, and giving up a shorthanded goal shows that yeah, this is a great team, but they still have shortcomings.
Turning Point: The Hayes goal that tied it late gets it here.
The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have a legitimate chance to get a First Round bye and make a deep 2026 Calder Cup Playoff run.
There’s one player holding them back.
Matt Dumba.
On the ice for all three Belleville goals scored on a lazy Wednesday night game in Wilkes-Barre, the sub .500 Belleville Senators team steals one winning 3-2 in overtime.
Since Dumba’s arrival about a month ago after clearing waivers, he’s been an abject disaster.
I have random, casual, sometimes readers of this blog come up to me and tell me that he looks like he just doesn’t care.
Team worst -5 in 13 games.
Every time something bad happens to the Penguins, it’s usually directly or indirectly caused by #24.
Maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe he’s content at, at 32, to live out his playing days on buses playing in the minor leagues collecting $2,600,000 for the remainder of the season.
But, where is the accountability? Where is it? If Finn Harding was making these same mistakes and putting forth a, “LOL I just don’t give a crap anymore” attitude on skates, he would be buried in Wheeling. Kirk MacDonald doesn’t get a pass here. Unless he is under strict orders from Pittsburgh to write Dumba’s name in with indelible ink every Penguins game day, he bears some of the blame too.
Four on four, puck played to him at the point, like it would in 3,000 other simulations and he’s not ready for it. Then, at center ice, he stops skating for a split second leaving his man to get by him for a breakaway and a goal.
Motioning to his defense partner Chase Pietila to cover his space while he goes to the side of the net to watch a guy dish to the goal scorer. This tied the game late.
In overtime he’s in the corner with Aidan McDonough for some reason, they lose out on the puck. McDonough busts his ass to try to get back, Dumba gets tangled up with a trailing Senator then coasts in at the last second when Belleville is celebrating.
Mind. Numbing.
Wilkes-Barre dominated the game in all facets, outshooting the Senators 26-9 after two periods but Leevi Meriläinen stood on his head and kept it tied at one a side. Then Belleville comes out and makes a push, as any team that is being badly outshot does, but a turnover by Meriläinen to Joona Koppanen sets up an Atley Calvert goal that puts the Penguins ahead 2-1.
Oh, while we are still burying Dumba, it was his useless interference call in the third period that put Belleville on a power play. I think he removed a stick from an opposing player, which, going into the rulebook on a Wednesday work night, you are not allowed to do. On said penalty kill, Koppanen blocked a shot and went straight to the locker room and wasn’t seen the remainder of the period.
Directly, indirectly, it doesn’t matter. As long as that check clears, baby!
No other divisional action to speak of, so there’s that. The Penguins have 56 points in first now, and Providence has 55 in second but have five games in hand.
Here’s how Wilkes-Barre lined up, Joona Koppanen for the traded Valtteri Puustinen was the only lineup change.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 21, 2026
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Tristan Broz was listed on the ever detailed injury report with what I thought I heard Nick Hart in postgame call and upper body injury.
Perhaps change comes in the form of leaving Dumba out of the lineup when they travel to Hershey Friday. Perhaps another trade is in the works and Dumba is dealt for a 2036 7th round draft pick. Change is needed, and accountability is paramount towards the cause.
The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins will look to keep the momentum rolling with a midweek drop in. by the Belleville Senators and then a Friday trip to Hershey and then returning home to close out the season series with the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.
Music to Set the Mood…
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The team went with a beach theme last weekend and was almost trolling us with the warm vibes and music I play out by my pool.
A Quote…
“Smell the sea, and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.”
– Van Morrison
Okay, okay, enough of wishing it were June. I have to move this along because I have snow to shovel.
The Setup…
Gave it to you in the opening paragraph. Belleville at home, Hershey on the road, Charlotte at home.
Last week, the Penguins beat the Providence Bruins 4-1 in a head to head in Providence. This would give me calm that there isn’t anything that the Penguins would necessarily need to be worried about when going straight up against the Bruins. It’s just that Providence won’t go away, staying in lock step with the Penguins all season.
Then the Pens split with Hartford, losing Friday and winning Saturday.
A quick bus ride to Springfield on Monday saw the Pens win a squeaker against the Thunderbirds in their first trip up to Massachusetts this season.
Belleville won in overtime on Wednesday in Laval and then Friday at home against Rochester and then won in a shootout against Utica at home Sunday.
Hershey lost in overtime at home against Hartford last Wednesday, beat Charlotte in overtime and then lost in a shootout against the Checkers and then lost in overtime to the Wolf Pack on Tuesday.The Bears travel to Allentown on Saturday and then host the Checkers Sunday.
Charlotte, as you saw above, did what they did at home against Hershey and will be in Lehigh Valley Friday, in Wilkes-Barre Saturday and in Hershey on Sunday.
Records
The Penguins are 26-11-1-2 and have 55 points and are in first place in the Atlantic.
Belleville is 17-18-6 with 40 points in fifth place in the North Division.
Hershey is 18-14-4-1 with 41 points in fifth in the Atlantic.
The Checkers are 22-12-3 with 47 points and thirdin the Atlantic.
The Rest of those Rascals
Providence hosted Cleveland for a pair this weekend and swept the Monsters. They have the same amount of points as the Penguins (55) with a 27-8-1 record and are second in the Atlantic and host Belleville Friday, Toronto on Sunday and in between travel to Bridgeport Saturday.
Lehigh Valley had a bit of a rough weekend, scoring just one goal in home losses to Bridgeport and Syracuse. They went up to Bridgeport on Monday and lost their fourth straight. The Phantoms host Hershey and Charlotte this weekend looking to build off of their 19-15-2-2 record with 42 points in fourth in the division.
Bridgeport has been on a bit of a tear, beating the Phantoms on the road Friday then Springfield at home on Saturday and then winning their fifth straight against the Phantoms on Monday. The Islanders are 17-17-2-1 and have 37 points and in sixth place and travel to Hartford Friday and then host Providence on Sunday.
Hartford bert Hershey in overtime, then split with Wilkes-Barre this past weekend. They concluded their Pennsylvania trip with a big overtime in Hershey Tuesday. The Wolf Pack host Bridgeport and Toronto this weekend and have a 15-18-4-1 record and have 35 points in seventh place in the Atlantic.
Springfield were shelled in Charlotte midweek, then lost 4-1 in Bridgeport Saturday lost a competitive one against the Penguins Monday and are 13-19-4-2 with 32 points in last place in the Atlanticlooking to ascend the standings this week hosting Toronto and Belleville Friday and Saturday.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Up: Joona Koppanen was recalled to Pittsburgh on Sunday. Zach Urdahl, David Breazeale remain on recall from the Wheeling Nailers.
Down: In the Koppanen transaction, Pittsburgh sent back Rutger McGroarty. Brayden Edwards and Max Graham went back down to Wheeling.
Out: Caleb Jones was here for a conditioning stinting got hurt. I don’t know the rules on how that works, so forget him. Daniel Laatsch (week to week, lower body), Sebastian Aho (week to week, lower body), Alex Alexyev (day to day, upper body), Raivis Ansons (week to week, upper body) are injured.
Traded: Valtteri Puustinen to Colorado. Pittsburgh is trading dead end players for a future. You don’t know what that future is until Crosby, Malkin and Letang are retired, but you can’t fault them for making moves. Puustinen had no future in the organization. It sucks to lose the firepower, but that’s what a minor league franchise is for. We are pawns in a bigger game.
Avery Hayes returned from his upper body injury and played Monday in Springfield.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
I would like to think that this is as important as week for the Penguins as any other. You had an average Belleville team here for a midweek game then head to a warming up Hershey Bears team that may be finding themselves and then host a team that has given you headaches in Charlotte? Why aren’t the Penguins six points up on Providence? You can point to Charlotte. The Checkers aren’t going away.
If you put that effort that they put in Providence and apply it to every game going forward, then I will see you in June. They are getting me to believe that they might just.
Who’s in Goal?
I’d find a way to have Sergei Murashov start Saturday against the Checkers and work backwards. That means he starts Wednesday against Belleville and Joel Blomqvist starts Friday in Hershey.
Hunter Shepard (late of Hershey if the name sounds familiar) Clay Stevenson, Kirill Gerasimyuk would be my guess for the opposition.
Who’s Running the Show?
Damian Figueira and Andrew Bell are in charge Wednesday with Jud Ritter and Josh Cleary on the lines.
Friday in Hershey Mike Campbell and Patrick Hanrahan are the referees with Cleary again and John Rey on the lines.
Saturday sees Campbell and Rey again with Jack Young joining Campbell in dishing out discipline and Davids Rozitis on the lines with Rey.
Looking Ahead…
Off next Friday, home against Syracuse Saturday and then a trip to Lehigh Valley Sunday.
Full disclosure. I have been sitting on this headline for a while with the play of Gabe Klassen of recent.
Another goal, this time at a big moment of the third period where it puts Wilkes-Barre / Scranton ahead for good is Klassen’s 10th goal of the season. Penguins win 3-2 in Springfield on Monday afternoon.
Sergei Murashov stopped 25. A goal and an assist for Valtteri Puustinen and Chase Pietila scored his first AHL goal.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 19, 2026
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Lineup Notes: Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty were back into the lineup. Hayes returned from injury and McGroarty was sent back yesterday. Joona Koppanen went back up to Pittsburgh. Zach Urdahl came out for Zach Gallant. Avery Hayes had a bubble on during the game confirming my speculation that he broke his something in his face.
Tristan Broz was conspicuous by his absence and Nick Hart didn’t even mention him in the benign waste of space “injury report” so I have no idea what’s going on with him. Suspension, sickness, personal matter, your guess is as good as mine.
No changes on the defense pairings.
First Period: Tons of early pressure by the Penguins, shots were 7-1 for the Penguins before Springfield recorded their first shot of the game at 4:48.
But, Wilkes-Barre got lax in its defensive zone when the Thunderbirds finally did establish some offensive zone time, and Simon Robertsson was left unmarked at the top of the crease and after some cycling down low, they found him for a goal at 12:09.
Not for a lack of effort for the Penguins, Finn Harding hit a post and then Aidan McDonough couldn’t finish a three on one rush.
Second Period: They kept to the game plan, and the breaks went their way.
Four power plays awarded to them helped, by Springfield’s penalty. kill is good and stingy. This helped swing momentum to the Penguins, where Valtteri Puustinen tied the game at one.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 19, 2026
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Shots were 18-8 in the period, largely aided by the four power plays awarded to the Penguins in the period.
Third Period: Springfield didn’t have a power play all game and it wasn’t a “lets call one on the Penguins” situation for Austin O’Rourke or Johnny Daniels, this was a legit high sticking penalty on Ville Koivunen which drew blood.
Matthew Peca would cash in the goal when a high shot from the point looked to be gloved by Murashov but deflected and struck Murashov and went right to McGing for the goal that tied it at two.
But this was a lesson of, “a hockey game is 60 minutes and not moments” so the Penguins, methodically as they were, hem in the Thunderbirds for a good minute and then Rutger McGroarty connects with Gabe Klassen for the go ahead goal.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 19, 2026
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What a find and what a revelation Gabe Klassen has been for this team.
The question was would Springfield net another. With a late power plat and with their goaltender Vadim Zherenko pulled after an unsuccessful power play, they would not find the equalizing goal.
Three Stars: 3) Vadim Zherenko (45 saves) 2) Gabe Klassen (goal) 1) Valtteri Puustinen (goal, assist)
The Good: This was a gritty road win.
The Bad: It shouldn’t have been. Springfield just fired their coach and isn’t really contending. Maybe the change at head coach kick starts them in the right direction and this is a game they can build on, but thePenguins should have won this game going away.
Turning Point: The Klassen goal that put them ahead is the obvious choice here.
Around the Division: Break up the Bridgeport Islanders, who have won five in a row, clipping an all of a sudden slumping Lehigh Valley Phantoms team who have lost four in a row. Islanders win 6-2.
Standings: Penguins and Providence 55 – Charlotte 47 – Lehigh valley 42 – Hershey 40 – Bridgeport 37 – Hartford 33 – Springfield 32
Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.
Video Highlights: Likely on your own for these, AHL VideoCenter is your best bet at some point.
Back at it Wednesday when Belleville stops in for their only visit of the season. Weekend Preview will be up around lunch time.
Finn Harding’s first AHL goal comes at a big moment of the game in the second period Saturday night. With Hartford scoring in the periods opening moments, the Wolf Pack continued to pressure for a good stretch until Aidan McDonough set up the Penguins rookie defenseman. That made it 4-1 at the time and took the pressure off and Wilkes-Barre / Scranton exacts revenge and holds on and wins by that score.
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard had a big first period playing into every goal with a goal and two assists, Gabe Klassen and Tristan Broz continued their hot streaks and Joel Blomqvist stopped 26. Treat Fix-Wolansky had the lone goal for the Wolf Pack.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 17, 2026
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Lineup Notes: Zach Urdahl for Zach Gallant up front and David Breazeale for Scooter Brickey on defense.
First Period: Wilkes-Barre rolled five forwards on an early power play; Broz, Puustinen, Harvey-Pinard, Koivunen and Gabe Klassen. Times like these I miss Jonathan Bombulie because he would have looked up how many AHL goals all but Gabe Klassen had and yet it’s Klassen netting his ninth of the season here on the power play.
Edit: Who needs JB when I have time and and internet connection. Harvey-Pinard – 60 career AHL goals; Puustinen – 71; Koivunen – 26; Broz – 33 and Klassen – 9, leading up to his 10th, right here.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 17, 2026
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Then Finn Harding took a shot that was deflected to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard who got it to go for his third point of the period and a 3-0 lead for the Penguins.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 17, 2026
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Second Period: Oh no, here we go again. Trey Fix Wolansky scores 1:27 into the period and Hartford is out of the gate blazing and it’s a 3-1 game all of a sudden.
Joel Blomqvist kept busy, and his team did little to help the cause taking three penalties, but they navigated through it all and then Finn Harding scored his first AHL goal that alleviated some of the concern that was bearing down on the Penguins and gave them a three goal lead.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 18, 2026
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Harding seems like a good kid to pull for. Also, free coffee!
Third Period: Seemed like it took an hour, Jackson Dorrington and Chase Pietila fought early, but there was no scoring. Tristan Broz had a breakaway and had Wolf Pack goalie Callum Tung dead to right but couldn’t elevate the puck on the backhand high enough.
Three Stars: 3) Tristan Broz (goal) 2) Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (goal, two assists) 1) Finn Harding (goal, assist)
The Good: Whatever the message was 24 hours ago was received and they were lasered in and ready. No blown leads.
The Bad: It’s nitpicking, but skate away when a guy is egging you on. If Blomqvist isn’t dialed in the second, it’s a different story written about another blown lead because stupid penalties did you in.
Turning Point: The Harding goal gets it here. Hartford didn’t have an answer after looking for a lot of them leading up to the goal.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 